"I promise, Dad. I did not do it," I sniffle as I blurt out to my father, Marco.
"You're the worst kid I've ever seen. Why did you ever step on earth? No wonder I regretted having you," he shouts furiously.
Why is he like this? Why do I have to suffer? What kind of question is that? I'm definitely not going to lie, but my father is the worst of the worst. He has only two jobs once he returns from his job. Either he starts working silently. Or he scolds me when he clearly can see that it's not my mistake.
I'm sure that not all fathers are like mine.
I really hope not even my enemy should get a father like mine. My father has too many complications in his character. He has never been nice to me or anyone I have known after my mother's death. At least not that I know of.
It's like living in hell. Actually, living in hell is better compared to living here in this shitty life. My mother, Lycia, was the sweetest person. My parents unconditionally loved each other. My dad has changed abruptly after my mother passed away two years ago. And I have been well… let's say miserable. Because why the hell anyone not be, because you lost your only way of light in your life, and now your life will be full of darkness? I hate it…
"You're going to face the consequences, Pietro. Be careful! Or else you'll be grounded," he warns. He is too hard on me; how can I explain this? Ugh. Just forget it. I'm just so used to this that I've added this into my daily routine now. Mornings like this feel pathetic.
I really want 'someone' to be with me, listen to me, and care about me.
I walk to my school. And there she is, the 'someone.'
"Hey, Pietro," she frowns, "it looks like you haven't slept last night. Why? Did something happen?" Catherine asks with worry.
I am really not sure how she got to know I'm upset. I'm really good at hiding my emotions. Catherine, who I met last month, could make out. I'm just kidding. And about my friends… My friends know how my father was, is, and always will be. They just don't want me to remember it at school. They just want me to relax after all the shit I go through at home. I just want her to listen to all my problems.
"Nothing, Catherine. I just didn't sleep yesterday because I was preparing for the math test we have today, and you know I suck at it." I partially lie.
I totally forgot about the math test. Shit!
"Oh! I see. So, guys, did you all prepare for the test?" she asks.
"Oh my God! No. No. Totally forgot," my besties say altogether.
"Help us, Catherine? Please, we promise we'll study next time. Just ask Mrs. Henry to postpone it to the day after tomorrow. Pretty please!" Giulio requests on behalf of all of us.
"Will she accept my request?" Catherine questions.
"She surely will. We know her. She'll have some empathy for the new kids. You just say to her, 'I'm new to this school, so can you please postpone the test to the day after tomorrow?' I would be really grateful." I mimic her.
She bursts out with laughter and continues, "Well, I'll try… If she does agree, it's good for you guys. Let's hope she does," she smiles.
We all go to the class, and Catherine requests Mrs. Henry to postpone the test, and Mrs. Henry did postpone it. We all made our small celebration when she said that the test was postponed.
I'm sure that my friends will never study; they're just careless about academics. They enjoy their lives. But Catherine seems like she likes to study. And I'm interested in studies too. But not the academic study, reading fictional novels study…
After some time…
During the lecture break I need to go out for a walk to clear my head so I…
"Excuse me, Mrs. Henry, can I go out?" I ask.
"Yes, you may, Pietro!" she agrees. As I walk past the corridor, I hear Catherine also excuse herself.
And Mrs. Henry agrees. She gestures for her to go too.
"Pietro, I have to talk about something with you," she whispers.
"Let's go to the storeroom upstairs. There'll be no one there," I say, wondering if she'll ask me about what really happened today. We go upstairs, and I open the door of the storeroom, allowing Catherine inside. I close the door; the only light was the sun peeking its rays through the small window in the room. It's just me and Catherine in this room. She inhales and exhales so deeply as if she's going to take the toughest decision of her entire life.
"Um… Pietro," she stutters but continues. "I think I've got feelings for you. And I don't want you to feel pressured that you've got to say this now itself. You can take your time. I'll be waiting. I just don't know, but—" I shut her mouth by keeping my palms on her mouth.
Her sky-blue eyes begged for a kiss.
"Just stop it," I whisper before I lean forward to kiss her. Her lips.
I loved her since I saw her in the corridor, feeling lost, on her first day at this school.
"I really love you, Pie," she whispers as I lock her hand with mine.
"Did you just keep a nickname for me? It's cute, though." I giggle, and I bend my knees a little. "And I love you too, amiro mio," I whisper into her ears.
Her eyes dilate at the 'amiro mio' thingy; I mean, her rosy cheeks indicate how much she loved being called my love in Italian. I'm really shocked that this is happening in my life. The prettiest girl I've ever seen is going to be mine.
"We better go! Otherwise Mrs. Henry might get sus of us," I mutter.
"Yeah, we better!" She agrees, still blushing.
I enter the classroom. After a few minutes, Catherine enters too.
Everything just seems dreamy. "Pietro!!" I hear in the midst of the noise like Giulio beside me hissing my name.
Wait a second. Why is Giulio hissing my name? And why is the scene fading away? Was that all just a dream? It seemed so real.
I just started at the board as Mrs. Henry explains her boring lecture about why Pythagoras discovered the Pythagorean Theorem. I mean, is she a math teacher or a history teacher? Wait… Did I just have a dream where Catherine confesses her love to me?
And This Was All A Dream!
And this is the side effect of reading too many romance novels all night. Maybe now I realize that I've got this huge, massive, and unstoppable crush on Catherine. Her sky-blue eyes, her dimples, her red hair, her fashion sense—collectively, she is flawless!
"Ahh… God." I whisper, smiling at her while she is concentratedly listening to Mrs. Henry's lecture.
Soon the boring class ended, and I was walking in the corridor with Giulio as I saw Catherine come towards us.
"Hey, Pietro. I wanna talk about something with you... in private," she whispers.
"Sure… I'll be back in a while, man," I say to Guilio. "Let's go to the storeroom upstairs. There'll be no one there," low-key hoping that everything happens just like my dream.
As in the dream, we both walk upstairs, and I open the storeroom door, allowing Catherine inside, and I close the door, and the sun rays peek through the small window. She inhales and exhales deeply.
Oh my God! Will she confess? If she does, what should I do?
"Pietro, I was thinking about what you said this morning. I think you're not saying the truth. Is there something you wanna talk about?" she asks with concern.
Oh! I thought she would confess, but this is getting tense.
"There's nothing like that, Catherine. I am not sure what made you feel like I lied." I lie again.
"Just say it, Pietro," she whispers as she holds my hand.
I look at her before breaking the eye contact with a sigh.
"Okay, so it's about—" the bell rings. I leave her hand and open the door. "Let's just go," I blurt.
"No, we can stay for longer. It's lunch break now," she reassures.
"You sure?" I ask her.
"Yep," she says softly.
I close my eyes before I start to talk. "So it's about my father. He acts really weird, and he is too hard on me, especially after my mother passed away two years ago." Tears glazed my eyes, and everything got blurry. All I can make out is Catherine is standing in front of me, as I could partially see her pink top with 'All I'll Ever Be' written on it from the reflection of the sun rays on her shiny print on her crop top.
"I'm so sorry about your mother," she says as she wipes my tears and comforts me with a hug.
This is what I need, and I really needed someone to be with me, and She Is The One.
I am so grateful she joined this school. Not even once did my life do this good to me after giving me my friends. Her eyes flooded with worry. I can make out that she really does care about me. All I wanted was a partner with whom I could share everything without any embarrassment. It's not that my friends make me feel embarrassed; it's just that I wanted a partner with whom I could share everything, even my day-to-day tasks. If she doesn't want me to be a partner, I just want her to be my friend, my closest friend.
I share everything—my problems, struggles, stress, anxiety, and depression. She seemed too worried about me. Which made me feel like I have to ask about—How is she? Does she have any struggles?
Of course, Pietro, she would have, but also it is my duty to know about her struggles and at least try to be with her, making her know that if no one is there, I am there, always, and always will be.
"And Catherine, do you mind—" the bell rings before I complete my fucking sentence.
We rush to our class. And I didn't even realize that we had spent more than 45 minutes alone in a room, comfortably.
Our classes go on, and I keep staring at Catherine. Thank God. She didn't catch me staring at her. School hours end.
"Shall I walk you home, Pie?" Catherine asks.
"Yeah, sure, Cathy. Why not?" I laugh as I pack my bag and simultaneously help Catherine to pack her cute bag.
She just kept the same nickname for me. It made me feel butterflies, so just to even it out, I too kept her a nickname for bonus.
We say goodbye to our friends, and we walk down the footpath. Our hands sliding past each other. A flicker of electricity passed through me as her hands slightly touched mine.
And Finally... Does It Happen?
"So, Pie, I actually have to say something," Catherine says before she clears her dry throat.
"Sure," I say, noticing the hesitation in her voice.
"Um… Pietro," she hesitates but continues. "I think I like you… And I don't want you to feel pressured that you've got to say this now itself. You can take your time. I will be waiting. I just don't know, but—" I shut her mouth by keeping my palms on her mouth.
It's the same words but said in a different place. Did God just try to hint to me that this was going to happen soon enough in my life through the dream, huh? Who really minds that when what I dream about has already taken place in front of me?
Her sky-blue eyes clearly waiting for a kiss.
Her longing wasn't left unnoticed and unfulfilled by me, as I lean forward to make my lips meet her soft one. We stop kissing, and my eyes meet her sky-blue eyes; it feels like I am literally flying in them like a literal lovebird before I wrap my hands around her without a second thought. It seems that we both are comfortable with each other within a month.
We ignored the world; we ignored that what if people see us; we ignored that we are in the middle of the road. All we could sense was our unbreakable love for each other.
Yeah, she's mine!
~~~~~